Meetings

7.2.1 The Committee noted the letter.

The Committee noted that the Women’s Health Plan includes endometriosis as a significant priority but it is too early to consider the Plan’s impact. The Committee agreed to refer the latest updates from the Cabinet Secretary and the petitioner to the Health and Social Care Committee, noting that this was an important issue for future Senedd scrutiny, and to consider for legacy reporting for the Seventh Senedd.

Members therefore agreed to thank the petitioner and close the petition, and in doing so to notify the petitioner of the work of the Health and Social Care Committee in relation to the Plan and its impact.

4.2.1 The Committee noted the letter.

This petition and ‘P-06-1220 Increase funding available for Women’s Health Services, Education and Awareness’ and ‘P-06-1444 Women of North Wales have the right to have a Menopause Services/Clinic in Ysbyty Gwynedd’ were considered together.

The Committee considered the petitions and noted the publication of the Women’s Health Plan. Members agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to seek further clarity on a question asked by Jenny Rathbone in the 10 December 2024 debate regarding tertiary care in the Women’s Health Plan. The Committee will also share the response from Fair Treatment for Women in Wales with the Cabinet Secretary. The Committee will also write to the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing to ask how specific data collection on endometriosis is being addressed in the Plan. Correspondence will be copied to the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee to inform its scrutiny of the Health Plan.

The Committee considered the petition and agreed to keep the petition open and reconsider it when the Women’s Health Plan is developed and published. Members also noted how inspirational the petitioner Beth Hales has been with her campaigning and engagement on this issue.

3.6 The Committee noted the letter

The Committee considered the petition and agreed to write back to the Minister in order to ask the questions posed by the petitioner and Fair Treatment for Women, including the petitioner’s offer to work with them to inform future policy.

The Committee also agreed to write to the Health and Social Care Committee in order to ask if they have any plans to do any work on this subject area.

The Committee considered the petition and agreed to write back to the Welsh Government to seek answers to the concerns and further questions raised by the petitioner. The Committee also agreed that it would support the call to raise awareness to Endometriosis and write to Health and Care Research Wales and Welsh Universities in order to highlight data gaps in order to help improve the quality of research into endometriosis.

The Committee agreed to:

• seek the Minister’s views on the specific questions raised by the petitioner in her most recent correspondence;
• write directly to all Local Health Boards asking for the specific action being taken in their area to address the issues;
• Follow up the correspondence the petitioner sent to the Minister for Social Justice; and
• Do all we can do to highlight the petitioner’s story regarding this important issue